Revolutionary: Year One

Every (other) Tuesday, Mike Sylvester brings you REVOLUTIONARY, a look at the wide world of Wii possibilities.

In this first year since Nintendo unleashed the Wii upon the masses, we've gotten a better understanding of how it plans to change the way the world feels about gaming. In this edition of Revolutionary, we'll examine some of the strides they've made and what they can do to make year two even more spectacular.

The Wii has turned out to be the sleeper hit of the gaming world, following in the footsteps of its portable predecessor the DS. In the face of heavier spec'ed competitors with multimedia features up the wazzoo, Nintendo stood firm on its plan to deliver something different and focus on the fun. It has obviously paid off, with the Wii having done the unimaginable and plucking the #1 spot away from the Xbox 360 which had a 1-year head start into the now-gen.

Not only is Wii taking the top spot in console sales, but as everyone knows, it's nigh impossible to walk into a store and buy one on impulse. It may take the planning skills of General Patton or the beguiling charms of Danny Ocean to coordinate a Wii Get. And even now, it's going to cost you roughly the same amount of dough it cost at launch. Having a bottomless demand meant that Nintendo never had to cut the price for the Wii. Competitors have strategically dropped prices to boost sales, while the Wii has never known what it feels like to collect dust on a store shelf, and it has always been priced to move. With things going as they are, we don't foresee a price drop happening any time soon.

Just a week before the Wii's first birthday, Nintendo turned the system into a proper plumber box. This is the second

console cycle where Mario missed a home console's launch, but its #1 rated status goes to show that it was worth the wait. And Super Mario Galaxy seems to be the prototypical title for Nintendo to model their development strategies after. It's got tremendous appeal for nostalgics and hardcore gamers (--I bet you wish you were playing it right now), but it also incorporates family-drawing features. Co-star mode gives your mom something to do while she's waiting for you to put Wii Sports back in, and the increased number of save slots will allow her to start up her own game once you've gotten her hooked.

Iwata & Co. were right on the money when they targeted non-gamers as a means to expand the market. Whether they're just casual gamers now or have become callous-thumbed geeks, they can be thanked for helping to rocket the industry to a $1.1 billion peak last month. Even before the Writer's Guild strike, the movie industry was starting to feel a bit envious of its up-and-coming entertainment competitor. This is evidenced by the syphoning of game IPs such as Hitman, Onimusha, and Tekken. Let's hope they don't fix their attention on Mario again.

In the beginning, we didn't know what to really expect when it came to feature updates and new downloadable Channels, but Nintendo has done a great job of adding value to their system. It has come to be expected these days that console manufacturers will make a continued effort to increase the functionality of their platforms with system updates, but what we've gotten in the way of Channels and new systems on the Virtual Console is especially unique. Wii Ware has been scarce in this first year, but to their credit, it was only formally announced a few months ago.

As good a year as it has been, there are still a few rough spots that Nintendo and 3rd parties need to work on to keep the positivity flowing steadily through year two.

Marketing
The Metroid Prime 3 Preview Channel was a great way to show off the game before it hit the stores, but in a way it was like preaching to the choir. There wasn't much done to promote the game in mainstream media, and if you saw the Channel, chances are you already owned a Wii and were planning on getting the game. Though we'd like to see more promotion of games done through Channels, it doesn't make much sense to have that be the only promotional tool. Commercials have worked fine for ages -- when handled properly.

It's hard to get excited about games like The Godfather, Scarface, or Call of Duty 3 when their publishers act as if they are barely deserving of a Wii badge on the tail end of the commercials. I've seen Microsoft-funded commercials for Guitar Hero games that not only drove home the point that they were on the Xbox 360, but they almost made it seem like that was the series exclusive home. Take notes, Nintendo! If 3rd parties aren't going to spend a little to promote their critically-acclaimed games, you could take on a bit of the burden.

It also fails to stir up enthusiasm when titles like those mentioned hit the bargain bin within a month or two of release. Instead of thinking, "Score!" it leaves the impression that it's not good enough to sell at the standard price. You'd never think the Wii version of The Godfather was the one to get when its PS3 and Xbox 360 counterparts are carrying a price tag that's 200% higher.

The key piece in the marketing puzzle is the product. If publishers continue to line the shelves with shovelware, the Wii will fail. It's as simple as that. Historically, the console with the largest installed userbase was the one that got the most developer attention. That trend went out the window with the Wii, which gets games featuring assets from PS2 ports, or spend too little time in QC before release. We can do our part by not buying those games, and telling our friends and families to stay away from subpar offerings.

On a side note, the Wii has what is widely regarded as the best standard controller for FPS games this side of a mouse and keyboard, yet the Xbox 360 is considered the platform to get for FPS junkies. If EA markets it right, they could turn things around with Medal of Honor: Heroes 2. Keep your fingers crossed that they don't put too much emphasis on the arcade mode.

Online gaming
The browser is great. The VC is better. The potential of WiiWare is enormous! We're all very happy Nintendo decided to integrate online functionality in their latest console, but it's fails on one crucial level: the games. Yes, you can play footy with a pal across the pond, but the selection of games supporting online play is still really slim at the moment. Comparing Nintendo's WiFi Connection to Microsoft's original launch of Xbox Live last generation makes it seem as though Nintendo or 3rd parties aren't giving the service any serious consideration. We need lots more games, and lots more features like a unified interface, voice chat (and a headset attachment for the Wiimote), and some way to add people you've met in a game onto your friends list.

Expansion and patching
Then there's support for downloadable add-ons. While some might say it's a good thing to not support patching of games, few would claim that being unable to download new tracks for Guitar Hero III suits them just fine. This fanboy can't help fuming while watch a friend shred to the Foo Fighters' This is a Call on his PS3. Also, it remains to be seen how they'll address the surround sound issues without resorting to a downloadable patch.

Ultimately, it's been a good year for us all, thanks largely in part to Mario. Collecting 120 stars twice may hold us over until Super Smash Bros. Brawl, and then we have WiiWare and plenty more Virtual Console classics to look forward to. But what more would you like to see done to make year two even better than the first? Leave a comment for discussion.